Recruitment

I am actively looking for motivated students to join my group.

Interns

I am looking for current students at UCR or external students, to join as interns to collaborate with me on research projects. Basic knowledge in machine learning (equivalent to undergraduate-level machine learning coursework) and strong coding ability are needed.

Typically, interns are not funded, but current undergraduates at UCR may apply to funded undergraduate research programs for the summer. Currently, I do not have paid RA positions for F-1 OPT or J-1 students.

Interested students may contact me with: 1) CV; 2) Transcript; 3) Research interests and preference on the type of the project (e.g., leading a research project, joining a research project as a helper, or developing a research-oriented software package, etc.); 4) Availability.

PhD students

I have PhD openings available for Fall 2026 admission. PhD students are fully funded through a combination of fellowships, RAship, and TAship. UCR has basic requirements for admission, including TOEFL>=80 or IELTS>=7 for international students. Additionally, PhD applicants to my group are expected to be strongly motivated in research and have strong technical skills (coding or math). Prior research experience in Computer Science (not limited to my areas) is highly preferred although not required for otherwise exceptional students. Preference will be given to students with relevant research of publishable quality at recognized venues (either published or with a comparable quality).

For interested applicants, please apply to the PhD in Computer Science program at UCR (application website expected to open soon this Fall), and mention your interests in working with me in your application. You may also email me about your application (with CV, transcript, and research interests) before or after you submit an official application, but a decision will not be available until all applications are officially reviewed after the deadline.

Why UCR? UCR is highly ranked at research-focused rankings – on csrankings.org, UCR is currently ranked at #28 in the United States. The CSE department has excellent opportunities for collaboration, with several recently joined AI/ML faculty members and diverse faculty on a variety of other research areas such as security, computer systems and networks, algorithms, etc. Also, UCR is located near Los Angeles in Southern California, and we have easy access to food, entertainment, airports, and natural attractions in the Greater Los Angeles area.

Master’s students

If you are a prospective student considering applying to UCR’s master’s programs, please apply via UCR’s official website and do not contact me at this time. However, if you have already been admitted to UCR and have decided to enroll, you may contact me if you are interested in research opportunities (see the “Interns” section above).

Postdoc

I currently do not have funding for postdoctoral scholars, unless a postdoctoral fellowship (highly competitive) can be secured, such as Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship (Deadline: November 1, 2025) or some external fellowship.